It's old-fashioned but kind of sweet when your boyfriend is preparing to pop the question and wants to ask permission first. So he nervously, sincerely, and lovingly makes a plea for your hand to ... your best friend. That's apparently what happened with Drew Barrymore and her fiance, art dealer Will Kopelman. Will, no dummy, knew who was boss. So when he wanted to tie the knot with Drew, he asked the permission of ... Cameron Diaz! Aww. That's cute. I think this could start a new trend.

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Asking someone's permission for your beloved's hand in marriage isn't exactly necessary -- and it's certainly a tad outdated. And, really, who is going to say "No"? Frankly, if a few of the husbands of my friends had come to me for permission beforehand, I would have said no. Or at least liked to. But I probably wouldn't have. Which kind of negates the whole thing.

Will must have been pretty confident to go to Cameron. Have you seen Cameron's arms? I wouldn't want to get on the wrong end of Cameron in a fight. He must have felt that Cam would take this bit of news well. Which is good because Drew is pregnant.

These days, so many people live far away from their parents and their best friend can be more of the day-to-day support system. So it can make more sense to ask a friend for a hand in marriage than a father or mother, who may hardly even know you. (Drew's father, John, has passed away.) I wonder how Will put it to Cam. Maybe something like, "Hey, yo, Cammy, Cammy. What's going on today, sugah? Listen, I wanted to ask you something. You know how much I love your bestie, Drew. And I know you two are BFFs. A guy can only hope to come in second with her -- behind you, of course. That's why I'm hoping you will give me permission to marry your daugh -- I mean, your friend. What say you, Cammy?"

And we all know she must have said okay, because Will and Drew are engaged. I wish someone would have videotaped the whole thing. But I think it went something like this (with Will standing in for Lucy Liu).